System And Method For Naming A Location Based On User-Specific Information

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and device for naming a location at which a user is present with a mobile communication device, including retrieving general information relating to the location, the general information managed by or for an entity other than the user; comparing the retrieved general information relating the location to user-specific information managed by or for the user; identifying at least one atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information and the user-specific information; generating a plurality of names for the location based on the atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information and the user-specific information providing the plurality of names for the location for selection; and storing the name selected for the location from the plurality of names.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present invention is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/294,770, filed Jun. 3, 2014, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/425,623 (now U.S.Pat. No. 8,750,892), filed Jun. 21, 2006, which is related to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/425,650 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,099,086)entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A DESCRIPTOR FOR A LOCATION TOA RECIPIENT,” filed concurrently with U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/425,623, and assigned to the assignee of the present application andherein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Handheld electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs),mobile phones, digital cameras, and the like, offer mobility and avariety of services to their respective users. They are typicallyconfigured to transmit and receive data to and from other devices via awired or wireless connection. Most mobile phones, for example, canprovide Internet access, maintain a personal address book, providemessaging capabilities, capture digital images, as well as place phonecalls.

Many devices, in particular mobile phones, can identify their respectivelocations within a certain range depending on the device and locationidentifying technique. Some devices can use sophisticated positiondetermining systems, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). The GPSis a satellite-based radio navigation system that uses signals fromthree or four satellites to compute the current latitude, longitude andelevation of a GPS receiver in the device anywhere on earth down towithin a few meters. Other devices can use a location identifyingtechnique based on which base station is servicing the device, that is,the location of the device is within a range of the base station fromwhich a call is made. Other devices can use location identifyingtechniques based on triangulation between the device and at least twobase stations.

The device's location, typically represented by geospatial coordinates,can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used to describe a digitalimage captured at the location and it can then be stored as metadata forcategorizing the image. The location can also be used to link otherinformation with the location, such as a favorite restaurant orbookstore.

As stated above, the location is typically represented by geospatialcoordinates. Geographical information systems (GISs) exist that mapgeospatial coordinates to street addresses or location names.Accordingly, the street address or name corresponding to the geospatialcoordinates can be displayed to the user and/or utilized by anapplication in the device, e.g., to associate the name with an image.

While providing the street address or name of a location can be helpful,e.g., to orient a user or to categorize a set of images, the streetaddress or name itself can hold little or no relevance to the user. Forexample, if the user has forgotten the name of a particular business,the address of the business is not particularly useful.

One way to address this would be to allow the user to assign a relevantname for the location manually. For example, the user can name alocation based on a favorite store, e.g., “Starbucks,” at that location,or based on a class, e.g., Calculus, the user is attending at thatlocation. In this manner, the location name can be personalized andrelevant to the user. This solution, however, requires the user to thinkof and to enter a name for each location, which can be tedious whenseveral locations need to be named and when the most appropriate namemight not be readily apparent to the user.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, a system and method for naming a location are described.According to one exemplary embodiment, the system includes a mobilecommunication device equipped with a position locator system that isconfigured to identify a location of the device, a first data store forstoring general information that is managed by or for an entity otherthan the user and that is related to the location, a second data storefor storing user-specific information that is managed by or for theuser, and a name generation module. According to aspects of oneembodiment, the name generation module is configured to receive thelocation of the mobile communication device, to retrieve from the firstdata store general information relating to the location, and to generatenames for the location based on at least one atemporal correlationbetween the general information and the user-specific information. Thenames are provided for selection of a name and the name selected for thelocation from the plurality of names is stored.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a mobile communication deviceincludes a communication interface coupled to a network, a positionlocator system that is configured to identify a location of the device,and a name generation module that receives the location of the mobilecommunication device, uses the location to retrieve general informationrelating to the location over the network via the communicationinterface, and generates names for the location based on at least oneatemporal correlation between the retrieved general information anduser-specific information that is managed by or for a user of thedevice. The names are provided for selection of a name and the nameselected for the location from the plurality of names is stored.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a server comprises acommunication interface for communicating with a mobile communicationdevice associated with a user over a network and a name generationmodule that receives a location of the mobile communication device overthe network via the communication interface, uses the location toretrieve general information relating to the location over the networkvia the communication interface, generates names for the location basedon at least one atemporal correlation between the retrieved generalinformation and user-specific information that is managed by or for auser of the device, and provides the names to the device over thenetwork via the communication interface. The names are provided forselection of a name and the name selected for the location from theplurality of names is stored.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a method of naming a locationat which a user is present with a mobile communication device comprisesretrieving general information that is managed by or for an entity otherthan the user and that is related to the location. The retrieved generalinformation is then compared to user-specific specific informationmanaged by or for the user to identify at least one atemporalcorrelation between the retrieved general information and theuser-specific information. Names for the location is generated based onthe at least one atemporal correlation. The names are provided forselection of a name and the name selected for the location from theplurality of names is stored.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide visual representations which will beused to more fully describe the representative embodiments disclosedhere and can be used by those skilled in the art to better understandthe representative embodiments and their inherent advantages. In thesedrawings, like reference numerals identify corresponding elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary location namingsystem according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 2A-2C are more detailed block diagrams illustrating the locationnaming system according to several exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for naming alocation according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects will now be described in connection with exemplaryembodiments, including certain aspects described in terms of sequencesof actions that can be performed by elements of a computing device orsystem. For example, it will be recognized that in each of theembodiments, at least some of the various actions can be performed byspecialized circuits or circuitry (e.g., discrete and/or integratedlogic gates interconnected to perform a specialized function), byprogram instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by acombination of both. Thus, the various aspects can be embodied in manydifferent forms, and all such forms are contemplated to be within thescope of what is described.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the geospatial coordinatescorresponding to the location of a mobile communication deviceassociated with a user are used to retrieve general information relatingto the location. The general information can include postal addresses ator near the location, business/personal names corresponding to thepostal addresses and phone numbers. In one embodiment, the generalinformation is retrieved from one or more GISs and directories. Thegeneral information is then compared to user-specific information, suchas, e.g., entries in the user's personal address book and calendar.Atemporal correlations between the general information and theuser-specific information are identified and one or more names for thelocation are generated based on the atemporal correlations. As usedhere, the phrase “atemporal correlation” refers to a correlation inwhich a time or date that information being correlated was createdand/or might refer to is not considered in determining the correlation.The one or more names are then presented to the user.

The presented names are, by their nature, relevant to the user becausethey are based on information specific to the user, and not entirelybased on general information such as that provided in a generic map. Thenames are generated automatically and presented to the user so that theuser only needs to select a name. The selected name can then beassociated with the location and stored so that the name can beretrieved when the user returns to the location.

FIG. 1 is block diagram illustrating an exemplary location naming system100 according to an exemplary embodiment. One or more network-enabledmobile communication devices 110, such as a digital camera/phone, PDA,laptop or the like, are in communication with a location naming server300 over a network 10. A first data store 200 includes generalinformation relating to a plurality of locations and is accessed by thedevice 110 or the location naming server 300 over the network 10. In oneembodiment, the general information is managed by or for an entity otherthan a user 120 of the mobile communication device 110. The generalinformation can include information related to the user 120 as well asfor other users, but is not generally viewed as the user's data. Thegeneral information is typically public information, but can includeprivate information as well, e.g., information that is available throughthe use of pay services. A second data store 220 includes user-specificinformation managed by or for the user 120. The user-specificinformation is generally viewed as the user's data, and can includeinformation related to the user 120 as well as for other users. Theuser-specific information can be managed by the user, e.g., on his orher personal digital assistant (PDA) or can be managed for the user byanother entity, such as via a remote data service. Typically, theuser-specific information is private information, but can include publicinformation as well, such as information the user 120 chooses to sharewith others. The device 110 and the location naming server 300 canaccess the second data store 220 over the network 10.

FIG. 2A is a more detailed block diagram of the location naming systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment. Each device 110 includes a meansfor tracking a position of the device 110. For example, the device 110can include a position locator system 112 that tracks the position ofthe device 110. The position locator system 112 can be the well knownglobal positioning system (GPS) that utilizes satellites 140 (FIG. 1) todetermine the device's longitudinal and latitudinal position.Alternatively, the position locator system 112 can be configured toutilize one or more base stations 130 within communication range todetermine the device's location. Each mobile communication device 110also includes means for communicating with the location naming server300. For example, the device 110 can include a communication interface116 coupled to a user interface 114 that allows the user 120 to use thedevice 110 to communicate with the server 300 over a wireless network 10using one or more communication protocols.

The location naming server 300 can be a personal computer or otherdevice capable of storing and managing data. The location naming server300 includes a communication interface 302 to transmit and receive dataover the network 10. In one embodiment, the location naming server 300is configured to retrieve data from the first 200 and second 220 datastores over the network 10.

As stated above, the first data store 200 includes general informationrelating to a plurality of locations managed by or for an entity otherthan a user 120 of the mobile communication device 110. In oneembodiment, the first data store 200 can include geographicalinformation 202 that maps geospatial coordinates to information relatingto the location, such as addresses and/or names. The first data store200 can also include one or more directories 204 that map addresses toaddress-specific information, such as telephone numbers, electronicmessage addresses, names and business names. The geographicalinformation 202 and directories 204 can be managed by a public orprivate entity. For example, a private directory 204 can includeinformation relating to employees of a private company, while a publicdirectory 204 can include information relating to businesses in a city,e.g., “The Yellow Pages.”

In contrast to the first data store 200, the second data store 220stores user-specific information managed by or for the user. Theuser-specific information can include user-specific items such as theuser's address book 222 that organizes contact information for aplurality of contacts, a call log 224 that stores call information,e.g., information relating to calls placed and received by the user, amessage log 226 that stores message information and a calendar 228 thatstores events and appointments. Each user-specific item can includefields associated with the nature of the item. For example, the addressbook 222 can include a field for a name of a person or business, andsubfields corresponding to a phone number, an email address, a streetaddress, and other information related to the person or business. Themessage log 226 can include fields for the email address and name of therecipient.

According to one embodiment, the location naming server 300 includes aname generation module 310. The name generation module 310 is configuredto generate and provide, upon request by a user, one or more names for alocation based on atemporal correlations between the general informationrelating to the location and the user-specific information associatedwith the user. In one embodiment, the name generation module 310includes a matching module 320 that is configured to compare at least aportion of the general information to at least a portion of theuser-specific information and to determine when an atemporal correlationexists.

The system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A is but one exemplaryarrangement. In this arrangement, a “thin” mobile communication device110 can be accommodated because the user's specific information 220 canbe stored remotely and the name generation module 310 can be hosted by aserver 300. Other system arrangements can be designed by those skilledin the art. For example, in one embodiment, the second data store 220can be coupled to the location naming server 300 so that the locationnaming server 300 securely manages the user-specific information for theuser 120.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 2B, the mobile communication device110 b can store and manage the user-specific information 220 internally.In this embodiment, the user 120 can select one or more user-specificitems, e.g., the address book 222 and the call log 224, the location thename should be based on, and can push the selected user-specific items222, 224 to the location naming server 300. Alternatively, the namegeneration module 310 can pull from the communication device 110 b theuser-specific information it needs.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 2C, the mobile communication device110 c can host the name generation module 310 and store theuser-specific information 220 internally. In this arrangement, thelocation naming server 300 is not required. Variations of theseembodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for naming alocation according to one embodiment. Referring to FIGS. 2A-2C and FIG.3, the exemplary process begins when the name generation module 310receives a location of the mobile communication device 110 and retrievesgeneral information relating to the location from the first data store200 (block 350). In one embodiment, the location is represented bygeospatial coordinates generated by the position locator system 112 inthe device 110 or provided by the user 120 via the user interface 114.The geospatial coordinates can be used to identify at least one positionat or near the location through the geographical information 202. Eachposition is correlated to an address and the address can then be used tocollect address-specific information through the directories 204, suchas phone numbers, names of people, business names, email addresses, andthe like. The collected address-specific information for each positionis the general information relating to the location.

After the general information has been retrieved, the name generationmodule 310 compares the general information to the user-specificinformation (block 360). In one embodiment, a portion of the generalinformation that relates the location to the user-specific informationis compared to the user-specific information. For example, when theuser-specific information is the user's address book and calendar, thegeneral information that relates the location to the user-specificinformation can include information typically found in the address bookor calendar, e.g., a phone number, email address, street address, personor business name, and/or landmark name.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the matching module 320 isconfigured to determine an atemporal correlation by comparing thegeneral information to the user-specific information. As stated above,the user-specific information is information managed by or for the user,and can include user items such as the user's address book 222, the calllog 224, the message log 226 and the calendar 228. In one embodiment,the matching module 320 can compare the user-specific information ineach user item in a specified order reflecting a relative importance ofthe user item to the location name. For example, entries in the user'saddress book 222 can be compared first, then entries in the user's calllog 224, then entries in the user's message log 226 and finally calendar228 entries.

The specified order can be designated by the user 120 or by the matchingmodule 320. In one embodiment, the matching module 320 can set a defaultorder and modify the order based on either a user's request or on auser's name selection pattern. For example, if the user 120 repeatedlyselects a location name derived from the message log 226, then thematching module 320 can alter the specified order to reflect the user'spreference, e.g., compare the user-specific information in the messagelog 226 first and then turn to the address book 222. The matching module320 can determine the user's name selection pattern by counting andcomparing the number of times the user 120 selects a location namederived from a particular user-specific item.

In one exemplary embodiment, the matching module 320 is configured todetermine if a portion of the general information substantially matchesa portion of the user-specific information without regard to a time ordate the user-specific information was created and/or without regard toa time or date to which the user-specific information might refer. Inother words, the matching module 320 is configured to determine an“atemporal” correlation between the general information and theuser-specific information (block 370).

In one embodiment, the matching module 320 can be implemented as asimple string matching module that compares two strings and returns trueif the two strings are substantially the same. For example, in oneembodiment, given two strings S1 and S2, the matching module can parseS1 and S2 based on punctuation characters, such as a space, period,comma, or hyphen, to produce a list of words from each string. From eachlist of words, common words, e.g., “the”, “com”, “org”, “inc”, “street”,can be removed. The remaining lists of words L1 and L2 are then comparedand if L1 and L2 have one or more words in common, the matching modulereturns a true response.

In another embodiment, the matching module 320 can support approximatestring matching techniques. For example, the matching module 320 canimplement a well-known algorithm for matching based on a measure of“distance” between strings, referred to as Levenshtein distance. TheLevenshtein distance between two strings is the number of editing steps,e.g., by inserting, deleting, or substituting individual characters,needed to transform one string into the other. In one embodiment, thematching module 320 can approximate matching of two strings by computingthe Levenshtein distance and can determine whether a match exists if thedistance is below a specified threshold.

The following table is a matching table that illustrates possibleatemporal correlations, i.e., matching pairs, of general anduser-specific information.

TABLE 1 Person or Phone Email Street Org Land- number address addressname mark Address phone √ book number email √ √ address street √ √address name √ √ organization √ √ name Call log phone √ number name √ √Messaging email √ √ address name √ √ Calendar: phone √ number name √ √topic √

As is shown in Table 1, the column headers represent general informationrelating to the location and the row headers represent the user-specificitems and their respective entries. Because word strings are compared,some entries can produce a positive match result for more than onegeneral information category. For example, while a name in the user'saddress book 222 can potentially produce a positive match result withthe general information name, it can also produce a positive matchresult with the general information email address if the email addressincludes the person's name.

In one embodiment, just as the user-specific items can be compared in aspecified order, the entries in each user-specific item can also becompared in a specified order. The specified order for the entries canbe based on the relative strength of an atemporal correlation or matchbetween an entry and the general information. For example, because aphone number is often closely associated with a person and a location, apositive match result is indicative of a strong atemporal correlation.In contrast, the street address of a location can be associated with aplurality of people who work at or near the location. Accordingly, apositive match result might be less informative and indicative of aweaker atemporal correlation. In one embodiment, the entries in theaddress book 222 can be compared in the following specified order: phonenumber, email address, street address, and name/organization name. Otherspecified orders may be easily implemented according to the user's ordesigner's preferences.

Once an atemporal correlation has been identified, the name generationmodule 310 generates a name for the location based on the atemporalcorrelation (block 380). In one embodiment, the name generation module310 generates one name for the location when a first atemporalcorrelation is determined. In this embodiment, when the first atemporalcorrelation is determined, the matching module 320 ceases comparing thegeneral information to the entries in other user items, therebypotentially eliminating additional database accesses and improvingperformance. In one embodiment, the name can be associated with the useritem from which the atemporal correlation arises. For example, if thefirst atemporal correlation is identified between a phone number in theuser's address book 222 and the general information phone number, thenthe suggested name can be the user-specific name of the person and/orthe organization name in the user's address book 222 associated with thematching phone number.

In another embodiment, the name generation module 310 creates an orderedlist of suggested names where each suggested name is associated with auser item from which an atemporal correlation arises. In thisembodiment, the matching module 320 compares the general information tothe entries in each user item. The suggested names can be listed in theorder the user items are compared. For example, suppose the matchingmodule 320 determines atemporal correlations in the user's address book222 and in the user's message log 226. The suggested name generated fromthe user's address book 222 can be listed before the suggested namegenerated from the user's message log 226 when the matching module 320compares the user-specific information in the address book 222 beforethe user-specific information in the message log 226.

According to the exemplary embodiment, at least one name is suggestedfor each user-specific item that produces a positive match result, i.e.,the item includes at least one entry that substantially matches thegeneral information. In another embodiment, if a user-specific itemfails to produce a positive match result, but does produce anapproximate string match, e.g., the Levenshtein distance between anentry in the user-specific item and general information is less than apredetermined threshold, both the user-specific name and the generalinformation name can be suggested. If an atemporal correlation is notidentified, i.e., each user-specific item fails to produce a positivematch result or an approximate string match, the suggested name can bethe general information name.

In one embodiment, as stated above, the general information related tothe location can include address-specific information for a pluralitypositions at or near the location. In this case, at least one suggestedname can be generated for each of the plurality of positions at or nearthe location. In one embodiment, the suggested names can be orderedaccording to the proximity of the corresponding position to thelocation. In another embodiment, the suggested names can be orderedaccording to a degree to which the user-specific information associatedwith the suggested name correlates to the address data associated withthe position. For example, if each entry in each user-specific itemsubstantially matches all of the general information associated with afirst position, the correlation is high. Thus, the user-specific nameassociated with the first position will be placed high on the orderedlist of suggested names. In another embodiment, the suggested names canbe ordered based on a combination of the position proximity andcorrelation strength and other factors.

According to an exemplary embodiment, once the suggested name for thelocation is generated, the name generation module 310 provides thesuggested name to the mobile communication device 110 (block 390). Inone embodiment, if an ordered list is generated, the first name on theordered list of suggested names can be automatically selected andprovided to the device 110. In another embodiment, the name generationmodule 310 can provide the ordered list of names to the device 110,where the user 120 can select the name for the location via the userinterface 114.

In one embodiment, when the user 120 selects a name for the location,the name and the location can be stored in the second data store 220. Inthis manner, the name can be retrieved whenever the user 120 returns tothe location, or when the user 120 would like to use the name todescribe the location to another user. For example, the name for thelocation can be shared with another user via the system and methoddescribed in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 11/425,650, entitledSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A DESCRIPTOR FOR A LOCATION TO ARECIPIENT, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and filedconcurrently herewith.

The executable instructions of a computer program as illustrated in FIG.3 can be embodied in any computer readable medium for use by or inconnection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device,such as a computer based system, processor containing system, or othersystem that can fetch the instructions from the instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions.

As used here, a “computer readable medium” can be any means that cancontain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for useby or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice. The computer readable medium can be, for example, but is notlimited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared,or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium.

More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablemedium can include the following: a portable computer diskette, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, an opticalstorage device including a portable compact disc (CD), a portabledigital video disc (DVD), and the like.

The following example illustrates an exemplary method of naming alocation according to one embodiment. In this example, the namegeneration module 310 retrieves general information relating to thelocation comprising the following general address data for positions,P1, P2, and P3, at or near the location:

Position P1

-   -   Address: 111 Corning Rd, Suite 200, Cary, N.C.    -   Org name: IPAC    -   Phone: 919-233-1942    -   Fax number: 919-662-1992    -   Email: ted.thomas@ipac-co.com

Position P2

-   -   Address: 111 Corning Rd, Suite 201, Cary, N.C.    -   Org name: NC Education Lottery Commission    -   Phone: 919-715-6886    -   Fax number: 919-233-7069    -   Email: paul.morris@nc.lottery.gov

Position P3

-   -   Address: 111 Corning Rd, Suite 111, Cary, N.C.    -   Org name: TI    -   Phone: 919-688-5555        The user-specified information includes the following        user-specific items and entries:

Address book A1

-   -   Name: Ted Thomas    -   Org name: IPAC    -   Address (Home): 555 Thomas Road, Raleigh, N.C.    -   Address (Work): 111 Corning Rd, Suite 200, Cary, N.C.    -   Email: ted.thomas@ipac-co.com    -   Work Phone: 919-233-1942 ×200

Call log C1

-   -   Name: T Thomas    -   Type: Outgoing    -   Phone: 919-233-1942

Email record E1

-   -   Name: T Thomas    -   Email: ted.thomas@ipac-co.com

Email record E2

-   -   Name: NC Lottery Help Desk    -   Email: help@nc.lottery.gov

Calendar entry M1

-   -   Name: Ted Thomas    -   Org name: IPAC    -   Address: 111 Corning Rd, Cary, N.C.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the address data for each positionis compared to the user-specific information. In one embodiment, theuser-specific items are compared in the following order: the addressbook 222, call log 224, message log 226 and calendar 228. The followingatemporal correlations are identified: (P1, A1), (P1, C1), (P1, E1),(P2, E2), (P1, M1). Based on each atemporal correlation, the followingsuggested names can be generated in the following ordered list:

1. Ted Thomas (user-specific name of person in A1)

2. T. Thomas (user-specific name of person in C1)

3. T. Thomas (user-specific name of person in E1)

4. NC Lottery Help Desk (user-specific name of organization in E2)

5. Ted Thomas (user-specific name of person in M1)

In one embodiment, the name generation module 310 can provide theordered list to the mobile communication device 110 after redundantnames have been removed. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the namegeneration module 310 can select and provide the first name on theordered list.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that theconcepts and techniques described here can be embodied in variousspecific forms without departing from the essential characteristicsthereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are considered in allrespects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of theinvention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoingdescription, and all changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalence thereof are intended to be embraced.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for naming a location, the systemcomprising: a mobile communication device associated with a usercomprising a position locator system configured to identify a locationof the mobile communication device; a first data store for storinggeneral information relating to the location, wherein the generalinformation is managed by or for an entity other than the user; a seconddata store for storing user-specific information that is managed by orfor the user; and a name generation module configured to receive thelocation of the mobile communication device, to retrieve from the firstdata store general information relating to the location, to generate aplurality of names for the location based on at least one atemporalcorrelation between the general information relating to the location andthe user-specific information, to provide the plurality of names for thelocation for selection, and to provide for storing the name selected forthe location in the second data store from the plurality of names. 2.The system of claim 1 wherein the first data store includes geographicalinformation that maps the location to an address, and at least onedirectory that maps an address to address-specific information includingat least one of a telephone number, electronic message address, name,and business name.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the user-specificinformation includes at least one of an address book that organizescontact information for a plurality of contacts, a call log that storescall information, a message log that stores message information, and acalendar that stores events.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the namegeneration module includes a matching module configured to compare thegeneral information relating the location to the user-specificinformation and to detect when a portion of the general informationsubstantially matches a portion of the user-specific information.
 5. Thesystem of claim 4 wherein the name generation module is furtherconfigured to identify a user-specific name associated with a portion ofthe user-specific information that substantially matches a portion ofthe general information relating to the location.
 6. The system of claim4 wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify aname based on the general information for the location when no portionof the user-specific information substantially matches any portion ofthe general information.
 7. A mobile communication device comprising: acommunication interface coupled to a network; a position locator systemconfigured to identify a location of the mobile communication device;and a name generation module configured to receive the location of themobile communication device, to use the location to retrieve generalinformation relating to the location over the network via thecommunication interface, wherein the general information is managed byor for an entity other than the user, to generate a plurality of namesfor the location based on at least one atemporal correlation between theretrieved general information relating to the location and user-specificinformation that is managed by or for a user of the mobile communicationdevice, to provide the plurality of names for the location forselection, and to provide for storing the name selected for the locationfrom the plurality of names.
 8. The device of claim 7 further comprisinga data store for storing the user-specific information.
 9. The device ofclaim 7 wherein the user-specific information includes at least one ofan address book that organizes contact information for a plurality ofcontacts, a call log that stores call information, a message log thatstores message information, and a calendar that stores events.
 10. Thedevice of claim 9 wherein the name generation module includes a matchingmodule configured to compare the general information relating thelocation to the user-specific information and to determine when aportion of the general information substantially matches a portion ofthe user-specific information.
 11. The device of claim 10 wherein thematching module ceases comparing when it determines that a portion ofthe general information substantially matches a portion of theuser-specific information and wherein the name generation module isfurther configured to identify a user-specific name associated with theportion of the user-specific information that substantially matches theportion of the general information relating to the location.
 12. Thedevice of claim 10 wherein the name generation module is furtherconfigured to identify a user-specific name associated with any portionof the user-specific information that substantially matches a portion ofthe general information relating to the location.
 13. The device ofclaim 10 wherein the name generation module is further configured toidentify a name based on the general information for the location whenno portion of the user-specific information substantially matches anyportion of the general information.
 14. The device of claim 10 whereinthe name generation module is configured to generate a list of suggestednames for the location, wherein each suggested name is associated with aposition at or near the location and the suggested names are orderedaccording to a position's proximity to the location.
 15. The device ofclaim 8 wherein the name generation module is configured to store thegenerated name and the location in the data store in response to theselection of the name, such that the name can be retrieved when the userreturns to the location or when the user wishes to share the name withanother user.
 16. A server for naming a location comprising: acommunication interface for communicating with a mobile communicationdevice associated with a user over a network; and a name generationmodule configured to receive a location of the mobile communicationdevice over the network via the communication interface, to use thelocation to retrieve general information relating to the location overthe network via the communication interface, wherein the generalinformation is managed by or for an entity other than the user, togenerate a plurality of names for the location based on at least oneatemporal correlation between the retrieved general information relatingto the location and user-specific information that is managed by or fora user of the mobile communication device, to provide the plurality ofnames to the mobile communication device over the network via thecommunication interface, and to provide for storing the name selectedfor the location from the plurality of names.
 17. The server of claim 16further comprising a data store for storing the user-specificinformation.
 18. The server of claim 16 wherein the user-specificinformation includes at least one of an address book of the user thatorganizes contact information for a plurality of contacts, a call logthat stores call information, a message log that stores messageinformation, and a calendar that stores events.
 19. The server of claim16 wherein the name generation module includes a matching moduleconfigured to compare the general information relating the location tothe user-specific information and to determine when a portion of thegeneral information substantially matches a portion of the user-specificinformation.
 20. The server of claim 19 wherein the matching moduleceases comparing when it determines that a portion of the generalinformation substantially matches a portion of the user-specificinformation and wherein the name generation module is further configuredto identify a user-specific name associated with the portion of theuser-specific information that substantially matches the portion of thegeneral information relating to the location.
 21. The server of claim 19wherein the name generation module is further configured to identify aname based on the general information for the location when no portionof the user-specific information substantially matches any portion ofthe general information.
 22. The server of claim 16 wherein the generalinformation relating to the location comprises address data associatedwith a plurality of positions at or near the location.
 23. The server ofclaim 22 wherein the name generation module is configured to generate alist of suggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name isassociated with a position and the suggested names are ordered accordingto a position's proximity to the location.
 24. The server of claim 22wherein the name generation module is configured to generate a list ofsuggested names for the location, wherein each suggested name isassociated with a position and the suggested names are ordered accordingto a degree to which the user-specific information associated with thesuggested name correlates to the address data associated with theposition.
 25. The server of claim 17 wherein the name generation moduleis configured to store the generated name and the corresponding locationin the data store in response to the selection of the name, such thatthe name can be retrieved when the user returns to the location or whenthe user wishes to share the name with another user.
 26. A method ofnaming a location at which a user is present with a mobile communicationdevice, the method comprising: retrieving general information relatingto the location, the general information managed by or for an entityother than the user; comparing the retrieved general informationrelating the location to user-specific information managed by or for theuser; identifying at least one atemporal correlation between theretrieved general information and the user-specific information;generating a plurality of names for the location based on the at leastone atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information andthe user-specific information; providing the plurality of names for thelocation for selection; and storing the name selected for the locationfrom the plurality of names.
 27. The method of claim 26 whereinretrieving the general information includes identifying geospatialcoordinates associated with the location and using the geospatialcoordinates to retrieve general information associated with thecoordinates.
 28. The method of claim 26 wherein the user-specificinformation includes at least one of an address book of the user thatorganizes contact information for a plurality of contacts, a call logthat stores call information, a message log that stores messageinformation, and a calendar that stores events.
 29. The method of claim28 wherein identifying the at least one atemporal correlation includesdetermining when a portion of the general information substantiallymatches a portion of the user-specific information.
 30. The method ofclaim 29 wherein generating the plurality of names includes identifyinga user-specific name associated with any portion of the user-specificinformation that substantially matches a portion of the generalinformation relating to the location.
 31. The method of claim 29 whereingenerating the plurality of names further includes generating an orderedlist of suggested names comprising identified user-specific namesassociated with each portion of the user-specific information thatsubstantially matches a portion of the general information relating tothe location.
 32. The method of claim 26 wherein the general informationrelating to the location comprises address data associated with aplurality of positions at or near the location and wherein generatingthe name comprises creating a list of suggested names for the location,wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and thesuggested names are ordered according to a position's proximity to thelocation.
 33. The method of claim 26 wherein the general informationrelating to the location comprises address data associated with aplurality of positions at or near the location and wherein generatingthe name comprises creating a list of suggested names for the location,wherein each suggested name is associated with a position and thesuggested names are ordered according to a degree to which theuser-specific information associated with the suggested name correlatesto the address data associated with the position.
 34. The method ofclaim 26 further comprising storing the generated name and thecorresponding location in response to the selection of the name, suchthat the name can be retrieved when the user returns to the location orwhen the user wishes to share the name with another user.
 35. The methodof claim 26 wherein identifying the at least one atemporal correlationincludes determining an approximate match between a portion of thegeneral information and a portion of the user-specific information andwherein generating the name includes identifying a user-specific nameassociated with the portion of the user-specific information and ageneral information name associated with the portion of the generalinformation.
 36. A non-transitory computer readable medium containingprogramming instructions for naming a location at which a user ispresent with a mobile communication device, the program instructions forperforming a method comprising: retrieving general information relatingto the location, the general information managed by or for an entityother than the user; comparing the retrieved general informationrelating the location to user-specific information managed by or for theuser; identifying at least one atemporal correlation between theretrieved general information and the user-specific information;generating a plurality of names for the location based on the at leastone atemporal correlation between the retrieved general information andthe user-specific information; providing the plurality of names for thelocation for selection; and storing the name selected for the locationfrom the plurality of names.
 37. The computer readable medium of claim36 wherein the instructions for identifying the at least one atemporalcorrelation includes detecting when a portion of the general informationsubstantially matches a portion of the user-specific information. 38.The computer readable medium of claim 37 wherein the instructions forgenerating the plurality of names includes identifying a user-specificname associated with a portion of the user-specific information thatsubstantially matches a portion of the general information relating tothe location.